Despite a full day of deliberations Wednesday, the jury in the first-degree murder trial of Jeffrey Chapman still had not reached a verdict.
The day ended with a request from jurors to have transcripts of trial testimony read back to them. But, they had been in the jury room since 9 a.m. and said through the jury foreman they needed a break.
The initial request for more information was made via a hand-written note at about 3 p.m. and the jury was ushered back into the courtroom. They wondered if portions of the preliminary hearing transcript, or the entire trial or selected testimony from it could be repeated, District Judge Ron Svaty said in relating what jurors were seeking.
Svaty said the preliminary hearing testimony could not be read, and relating the entire trial would take as long as the trial itself. However, the court could honor the reading of specific trial excerpts.
The jury was then taken back to the jury room to decide what they wanted to hear. When they decided, it was passed to court officials who then started tracking down the records.
Following another request for information, the jury decided they needed to call it a day. Brought back into the courtroom, Svaty read another statement from the jurors saying they thought it was important to be fresh when they listened to the transcript readings.
The jury was sent home and the court recessed at about 4:30 p.m. The trial will resume at 9 a.m. today with the reading of the testimony.
Chapman is accused of killing Damon Galyardt, 25, who was fatally shot on Nov. 11, 2011. His body was dumped in a ditch in the county southwest of Great Bend, and found by hunters on the morning of Nov. 12.
His trial started last Monday with jury selection. Testimony, which has included that of Chapman himelf, started Thursday with closing arguments taking place this Tuesday.
The prosecution claims that an enraged Chapman threatened to kill Galyardt for mistreating Galyardt’s pregnant fiancee Summer Hoss, and followed through with that threat.
Chapman pleaded not guilty and his defense has been that he killed Galyardt in self defense when Galyardt, high on meth, came at him with a knife when Chapman went to his house to talk about his treatment of Hoss.